This bunch of players are taking us for mugs and if most of them aren't gone the minute the season ends I would be shocked. Quite frankly I don't give a rat's arse about most of them but my biggest concern is that Nigel Pearson will have seen enough negativity to make him decide to take another possibly more fruitful position. To say the next few weeks could be a critical one for the longer term prospects is a major understatement and let's just hope that Pearson is willing to take on a serious challenge, especially when you consider the current dysfunctional mess the squad has become due to lack of due diligence over the last few years. After the displays and results over the last while I hope the Lansdown/Pearson relationship has not suffered to the point where neither want to continue the project, because they both need to be open and honest about the lousy situation we find ourselves in but more importantly what will it take to get us where we all want to be in the foreseeable future.Over to you Steve and Nigel and let's all work hard to get us back on a better track.
The bottom line is we are shockingly weak and easy to play against. Just crowd us and beat us up in midfield and you will win. The midfield is the reason why we have been inconsistent since January 2018, slow, weak, predictable and non creative. No protection for the defence and no creativity for our strikers. Bentley 5 One great save but a bag of nerves on all crosses. Simpson 5 Defensively OK (which is an improvement on Hunt) but hasn’t got the legs anymore. Kalas 9 Because at times he looks like the only one who gives a ****. Mariappa 4 Just not good enough and a liability in our box. Sessegnon 4 First touch was poor and passing was poor. Nagy 4 Looked unfit. Massengo 7 Never gave up, huge room for improvement in his passing. Vyner 5 Looked better at the back, another whose first touch and passing was poor. Semenyo 6 Truly a 5 because he was in and out of the game, a 6 because until Palmer came on, he was our best chance of supply. Wells 6 The effort he puts in these days in an area that clearly does not suit him is impressive, deserved his goal for that effort. Diedhiou 1 Because presumably he put his boots on the right feet (although it didn’t look like it) wheelie bin, pay him off now. Nice to see another couple of kids get game time, a shout out for Palmer who produced the best pass of the afternoon into their box. Rowe and Lansbury another 2 who can leave, not good enough.
Good to see the president of the Oxford debating society back again. The bottom line is this squad has seen off 2 managers, Pearson has signed one player, because SL hung on to Holden for too long. Instead of childish comments, tell me where the quality in our squad is?, tell me who the players who give a **** are?, tell me who the players are who wear our shirt with pride?, because I am not seeing it apart from a few and most of all tell me who the next manager should be? because I suspect that Pearson will grow inpatient with the speed at which SL and Ashton act. If this squad is not broken up we will be in a relegation fight next season.
Nigel Pearson's verdict on the game Really poor performance. What disappoints me the most is we’re looking for a response and we didn’t get it. I didn’t think we showed the right character traits possibly, as much as anything. I didn’t see a collective determination, I didn’t see game understanding and I don’t like players ducking out of challenges. I made changes because I wasn’t happy with how individuals were. People might be wanting to ask questions about why certain players aren’t included in the starting line up and the reason they’re not in there is because they haven’t shown the right attitude during the week. It’s a situation at the moment where I think our players have to understand that we are still very much in a fragile position. We are certainly not safe and if we play like that for the rest of the season, we are in danger of being relegated. It’s really quite straightforward for me. I’m not happy with our application today. I accept when mistakes are made on the football pitch but I can accept them when they are honest mistakes. Today, I thought we were just so way off the pace and didn’t do, once again, what we’d talked about doing. So for me, it’s a tough situation because I’m having to turn to younger players to get a response on the pitch and I think that’s…I’ve said before, I don’t want to damage these youngsters by overly exposing them to negative situations. So, lots of work to do. The players will have to take greater responsibility on the field and we’ve got some testing games coming up.
100% correct he can see what a majority of fans have been seeing and saying for a long time, this squad has successfully seen off 2 managers and SL needs to act now to clarify what is going to happen next season, because I cannot see too many season ticket holders renewing on the wooly interview of the other night.
Wow your'e a patient soul aren't you? he's had 8 games and least we have won 2 of those and scored 3 goals in both wins, up until the win at Middlesborough we hadn't scored 3 goals in a game since February last year. He hasn't had any windows to sign players. As pointed out LJ hadn't won any of his last 9 games, tell me why you believe he was sacked? Holden won none of his last 6 games including a 6-0 defeat to Watford, tell me why you believe he was sacked?
If Pearson is so good, why is he talking about this attitude stuff and persist with playing Diedhiou? Who to me has shown terrible attitude since Middlesborough. I was a fan of his but this last 2 months he’s just been a passenger. So why play him, and still push Wells out wide like Holden did? We can talk all we like about he’s only got these players until season end but regardless that in the past few seasons these players have been middle to top end championship team. The past three games we’ve been no better than league one and that’s not even top end league one.
I can only assume he realises how popular he is amongst many fans for some unknown reason and saying we should break the bank to keep him, perhaps he's making a point, maybe even to SL and Ashton who knows?. However I suspect he's finished now. The next couple of games will give us a clue. And as he said the alternative is one of the kids but he doesn't want to push them and break them, but Bell is injured, so maybe Conway. I agree fully reference Wells he is wasted out wide, but at least he is putting effort in. This squad has never ever been consistent and never will be, LJ winless in his last 9 games and Holden winless in his last 6 including a 6-0 defeat, the 3 wins we had have left us probably 3 point from safety. The players are fully responsible for both of them being sacked. Out of the 5 substitutions he made today I suspect 4 of them are dead meat.
They both deserved the sack, just saying nearly everybody's favourite is not setting the city alight, and in both those wins we had our fair share of luck, we certainly weren't three goals better than Swansea or Boro or were you watching different games than me.
The last time I looked the record books don't record whether you were 3 goals better or not, we deserved to win both games because we took our chances and Swansea and Boro didn't end of. Take a look at our worst results over the past few seasons, they are always against physical teams flirting with relegation. The squad is poor some turds can be polished, some need flushing.
Thought our Nige was that good he would have polished those turds, or is he that good, me not that convinced hope for our clubs sake i'm wrong.
One minute, you say what a terrible squad, but then the next, the games we've won under NP, scoring 3 goals in each.......oh yes with that same squad..be patient.. So basically you're saying, NP is able to get something from this squad........................sometimes!!!!
The funny thing is, exactly how many players are out of contract at the end of season ? 13/14 players, maybe more I’m not sure but honestly you would think if they even gave a **** about this club they’d play with more heart and desire to warrant getting a new deal. The fact is most of them seem to just be going through the motions and seemingly don’t give a **** so NP needs to get rid of all of them that are a complete waste of space. Under LJ and DH it’s been too “nice” and have been getting away with being mediocre for years
No what I am saying is this squad has had far too many chances to be CONSISTENT and they have singularly failed in that, THEY ARE INCONSISTENT. Sometimes LJ got something out of them and then sometimes he didn't and over prolonged periods both ways, the same for Holden and now the same for Pearson. If they had been CONSISTENT your mate LJ would still be here but they are not and never were and never will be. I hope that clears things up once and for all. Did you enjoy watching the game?
I hope you are wrong as well, because I shudder to think who they will promote from within next time, my money is on Ashton.